Electric cars make more emissions unless green-powered

Adam Carey
Published: December 4, 2012 - 3:00AM

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VICTORIAN motorists who switch to an electric car can expect to produce less than half the greenhouse gas emissions than they would if driving a petrol-powered car - but only if they run it on 100 per cent green power, government research has found. If they don't they will generate more emissions.

A new electric car run on renewable energy can also take as little as three years to recoup the carbon emissions generated in its manufacture, according to new evidence from the Victorian government's electric vehicle trial.

The five-year trial, which is at its halfway point, is being held in the expectation that Victorians will switch to electric cars in their thousands in coming years, even though the number currently in use here is only 100 or so.

The Department of Transport expects plug-in cars will make up a quarter of new vehicle sales in Victoria by 2020.

But an analysis of cars participating in the trial has found it is essential to charge them from renewable energy sources such as wind and solar power to achieve any environmental good.

Victoria's dependence on brown coal for energy is so high that any electric car that ran off the electricity grid would generate even more carbon emissions than one running on petrol.

''You need to run your car off green energy to get an environmental benefit, and if you do you get quite a significant environmental benefit,'' said Kristian Handberg, low-emission vehicles project manager with the Department of Transport, which is conducting the trial.

Mr Handberg said it was important to study how electric vehicles might be used in Victoria, to gauge their environmental and economic impacts.

''We make cars here in Victoria, so it is a real competitive advantage to the state if an emerging trend in global automotive technology is towards vehicle electrification,'' Mr Handberg said.

Options for driving an electric car around Melbourne are extremely limited, with fewer than 30 public charge points, mostly around the CBD.

But those options will increase from early next year when car share company GoGet joins the government trial, installing up to 10 charge points.

''GoGet's involvement means electric vehicles will be experienced by potentially thousands of Victorians who would otherwise have no idea of what an electric vehicle can do,'' said parliamentary secretary for transport, Edward O'Donohue.

A select number of individuals and organisations that have participated in the government trial have already experienced driving an electric car.

Melbourne Museum has two electric car charge points in its underground car park, and has been a part of the trial. John Steinfort, the museum's parking services manager, said staff were often taken aback by the car's power. ''People have this idea that electric cars are glorified golf buggies, but they come back with grins on their faces,'' Mr Steinfort said.

This story was found at: http://www.theage.com.au/victoria/electric-cars-make-more-emissions-unless-greenpowered-20121203-2ar3x.html